The document provides 5 tips for making business meetings more effective: 1. Stop calling them meetings and use alternative terms like "sit-downs" or "powwows" to change perceptions. 2. Stop using only conference rooms and consider alternative locations like cars, outdoors, or coffee shops to stimulate discussion. 3. Bring a ball or other object to toss around to keep people engaged without requiring much brain power. 4. Have meetings standing up instead of sitting to keep people alert and get to the point faster. 5. Shorten meeting times from an hour to half an hour or from half an hour to 15 minutes to see if the same can be accomplished faster.

1. My five minutes bell
Mauricio Vargas Vázquez

2. Tips to make a business meeting
effectively
Stop Calling Them Meetings
I know this sounds silly, but you’d be shocked at how effective it is at changing the
way meetings are treated by just giving them a different nomenclature. In fact, in our
office we’re not allowed to schedule meetings. Nor do we discuss meetings. Instead,
our calendars are sprinkled with sit-downs, powwows, huddles, and about a dozen
other terms that mean meeting but don’t say meeting.
Why do we do this? Well, because meetings have developed a stuffy and boring
reputation. And why would you want to set the tone for your next gathering by
immediately putting the idea of boring and stuffy into the attendee’s heads?
Plus, meetings come with other preconceived traits. They’re long, take place in a
conference room and involve one person lecturing or presenting. When you change
the name of the thing, now the thing can become whatever you want it to be. Which
brings me to my next tip.

3. Tips to make a business meeting
effectively
Stop Using The Conference Room
In fact, why does it have to be in a room for that matter? I understand that
sometimes meetings require some level of privacy, but you’d be surprised where
you can start holding them if you start to use your imagination.
A favorite place for me is in the car. When the meeting involves five or fewer
people I’ll load them all into the car and we’ll turn on some music and go for a
drive. It gets us out of the office, allows for privacy, and stimulates conversation
and out-of-the-box thinking.
Other frequently used locations used in our office are the great outdoors, around
someone’s desk, or at the coffee shop across the street. When you break out of
the typical conference room environment you’ll notice that people open up, are
more participatory, and usually enjoy themselves a little more.

4. Tips to make a business meeting
effectively
Bring A Ball
This is my favorite one. The next meeting you hold, bring a ball, beanbag, or
something that is soft and can be thrown. Then, just start tossing it around the
room. Don’t treat it like a conch shell that needs to be held in order to have
permission to speak, but rather use it as a tool to keep people engaged.
It’s tough to browse your Twitter TWTR +1.14% stream when you might get hit in
the head by a Nerf football.
People will remain engaged with the ball being tossed around, but because
passing a ball around doesn’t require a lot of brain power, they’ll also be able to
stay involved with the conversation and topics at hand. If you try only one of
these, please make it this one.

5. Tips to make a business meeting
effectively
Stand Up
Wherever you hold your next huddle or powwow (see what I did there?) make
sure to ditch the chairs and have everyone, who is able, stand up. This will help
keep people alert and it’s not as comfortable as sitting down. Because there isn’t
the comfort of a chair supporting the attendees, they’ll find themselves getting
to the point faster, chit-chatting less, and get the meeting over with sooner.
Plus it’s healthier for everyone involved. There are numerous studies that show
that sitting at your desk all day has an extremely negative effect on your overall
health and well-being. So, if you are forced to be in meetings several times a
day, use that time to save you from the death trap that is your office chair.

6. Tips to make a business meeting
effectively
Shorten Them
Why do meetings have to be scheduled for one hour or half-hour slices of the
day? Was there a mandate long ago from Mr. Business that stated this was gospel?
If not, then let’s buck the trend. Start setting your one-hour meetings to half-
hour meetings and change your half-hour meetings to 15 minute ones.
Once this is done, check and see if you can get everything done in the same
amount of time and that they’re just as effective. I bet they will be if you’re also
standing up, attending a huddle out by the tree, and tossing a ball around the
circle.

7. Bibliography:
 https://www.forbes.com/sites/miketempleman/2015/08/08/5-tips-for-
having-a-perfect-business-meeting/2/#4453f88e7e9a